I'll reset the goal and double it tomorrow when I start "Medicine Show." I was happily surprised at how fast every conflict that's actually in the book rushed together to the same conclusion when I dropped the idea of weaving the hurricane into the outcome. That can be another book.

Egad, there could be a sequel that soon after it. I guess it'd be Magic in the Rain or something like that, if the hurricane is the main focus. Wow. Three month old kittens. They'd be soooo mature....

On into the rootin tootin Old West with an idealistic young British vampire occultist, a disillusioned old Native American shaman, assorted colorful characters including dinosaur rustlers and whatever else wants to drop into the book when they go on the road selling real magic dressed as a scam.

I did it a day early! I got an extra day for whatever comes, be it sick days or stuck-plot moments!

I'm not sure. It's tricky -- I've spent all afternoon reading up on historical things on Wikipedia to try to get the starting year right. Looks as if the Civil War is going on at the same time and that is going to seriously affect it.

I have to get him to the West Coast and perhaps he traveled by ship to the Far East and then sailed to San Fran, coming in on the far West and then meeting the shaman who came from up north. Need to figure that out. I'll probably just start on a city night and dodge explaining his previous itinerary, see what happens.

I don't think it counts as steampunk just because it's set in that actual period. I think steampunk has to have alternate history elements and go off into what happens if path-dependent technology had kept steam rather than heading toward fossil fuels and electricity.

But it may have some of that feel anyway since it actually is in the Age of Steam.